Writing Tips for Authors

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Matthew 18:19-20“Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.

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Writing Tips for Authors

Keep Rewriting Until It’s Impeccable

The best writers know that the first draft of a story is not the finished product. The plot may contain holes, the pace may be off, the characters may need reworking a little. The only way to produce a novel you’ll be proud of for years to come is to make amendments and adjustments until it all comes together into one grand finale.

Too many first-time authors put their work out into the world before it’s ready for public consumption. And anyone who reads a half-finished manuscript is unlikely to seek out future work by the author who penned it. In fact, they’re more likely to give it a bad review
and vow never to go near that author again.

Hire An Editor, Any Editor

Everyone makes typos and the odd grammatical error. It’s not a lack of skill or knowledge that’s to blame, just a tunnel vision that means glaring mistakes slip through the net. Thankfully, this problem is easily fixed with a second pair of eyes.

Every author should employ an editor. Not their mother or significant other unless that person is a professional. This person can fix typos, and offer feedback as to how the story flows. It’s surely better to have problems spotted by someone you know rather than by a complete stranger reading your work of brilliance after publication. One low cost service for all the different kinds of editing from developmental to proofreading can be found at Authors Community

Promote It, And Keep Promoting It

The universe of books is staggering. For new authors, writing a book is only half the battle. No matter if you are indie published on digital platforms or traditionally published, you have a lot of marketing to do. The way it stacks up is you have to make people aware that your book exists. There is only one way to do this: promote it, and then keep promoting you and your work.

This can mean offering your book for free for a limited time, building a presence on various social networks, or writing guest posts for websites with a link to your own domain as a reward. Anything you can do to make people aware that you exist is a step in the right direction.

Don’t Skimp On The Cover

The old adage “Don’t judge a book by its cover” is famous because years ago books were cloth bound or leather bound. Sometimes there was a color to the binding. We’ve come a long way since then and people do judge a book by its cover. Often times the cover is as important or almost so as the book’s description to cause a person to purchase your book. This is why publishers spend time and money on getting a cover design just right. It should take the driver’s seat for any author.

The cover of your book doesn’t have to be a work of art. But it should be authentic, evocative, and representative of the story contained inside. After all, alongside your description blurb, this is the best way (after promotion) you have of selling your book before anyone has read the first line.

Set Realistic Expectations

The fact that indie publishing is now so easy to do means you’re not the only person doing it. The amount of competition that exists means it takes a lot of hard work and a healthy dose of answered prayers to stand out from the crowd.

By all means dream of being a huge success. Just be aware that only a handful of people manage to hit the big time. Enjoying moderate success is more likely, with some loyal fans and an extra revenue stream coming your way.

Write because you enjoy doing so, and because you’re passionate about the stories in your head. That way, any fame and fortune that may befall you will be the icing your cupcake, cream in your coffee, or the light on your candle.

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